Status Report · Neorg / .norg

Are We GTD Yet?

NO.

Ask again in a few years.

GTD Rewrite Progress

░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░░ 0%

Counter I

Days since GTD was removed

Christmas Eve, 2022. Most people were wrapping presents. Vhyrro pushed a commit. The PR section where it landed was titled "GTD might die, oops", which in retrospect reads less like a warning and more like a spoiler. One that something bad would inevitably happen.

Counter II

Days since the new parser was promised

tree-sitter-norg2 Created on October 15, 2022, two months before GTD was removed to make way for it. The plan was simple: build the parser, then rebuild GTD on top. Except the parser needed a new spec first. The spec needed a module system refactor first. The module system refactor became its own open issue with an annual title. New prerequisites keep getting added to the front of the queue, not the back. GTD stays at the back.

What Was Deleted

The commit removed 13 source files and over 4,000 lines of Lua. Here is what they contained. All of it waiting to be rewritten. None of it rewritten.

Task capture popup
Global inbox view
Project views
Context filtering
Scheduled and due date support
Task editing interface
GTD query engine (creators, modifiers, retrievers)

The Architecture Refactor of 2023 This Year

In August 2023, an issue was opened: "The architecture refactor of 2023." It described a planned overhaul of the internal Neorg plugin module system. The year ended. The refactor did not happen.

On January 5, 2024, the issue was renamed to 2024. On January 11, 2025, it became 2025. On December 20, 2025, someone renamed it again. Not because it was done. Just because the year changed.

It is now called "The architecture refactor of 2026." A contributor in the comments has already placed a bet on 2027. They are ~~definitely~~probably right. Although the only sure way to win that bet would be to bet on nothing happening at all, which is also a very likely outcome. Again, nothing ever happens.

From the Author, Verbatim

"The GTD rewrite will be a more efficient, more performant and more integrated workflow."

— Vhyrro, PR #621 description

"I'm so excited!! The GTD rewrite is going to be such a banger."

— Vhyrro, PR #621 comment, November 18, 2022

Frequently Asked Questions

When will GTD be back?: Soon. Or at least that's what we ~~like~~used to believe.
How soon?: After the spec ships. After the parser ships. After the module system is refactored. There is no ETA for any of those. But soon.
Is anyone working on it?: Define working.
Can I contribute?: Sure. Open a PR. Wait for a review. Probably nothing happens. Repeat.
Is this feature dead?: NoYes. Just resting. Resting in peace since December 2022. RIP bozo.
Should I switch to Obsidian?: That is between you and your conscience. It's not like markdown is any better. Just another way to torture yourself while unconsciously you continue waiting.
Is there anything I can do to speed it up?: Pray to the Neorg gods. Sacrifice a ~~goatchicken~~tomato. Send Vhyrro a message asking about GTD (BEWARE: it might trigger his gaslighting defense mechanisms). Do a rain dance. Perform a ritual sacrifice of your own free time. Donate to the Neorg organization. None of it will work, but it might make you feel better.
How long will it take?: If we look at the past three and a half years, we can make some estimates. The parser has been in ~~development~~abandonment for 3.5 years and is still not done. The module system refactor has been pending for over 2.5 years and is still not done, although the contributor is winning the bet he made. The spec has been in flux for 3.5 years and is still not done. GTD itself has been gone for 3.5 years and is still not back. So if we assume that the future will be anything like the past, we can expect GTD to be back in another 3.5 years at best, and more likely, never. Yet again, nothing ever happens, so maybe it will just stay in limbo forever. ~~Who knows?~~Vhyrro does know.

Page 1 of ∞